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3:02am June 25, 2015

dendriforming:

spacerobotcrew:

dendriforming:

I don’t think people I disagree with about language are automatically wrong about other things. They’re often right on about things that are also really important to the people language policing hurts most.  I seriously question the priorities of people who make language their main thing, but usually even those people are right on some things.

Both groups are big enough that if we shut people out I’m afraid we’ll end up losing a lot. And there are a lot of overlapping priorities. But there’s still a fundamental underlying problem that both groups view the other as a threat, and I don’t know how to resolve that.

I really wish I did.

Yes!!! That’s some of what I’ve been thinking but not knowing how to put into words. Also I wish it was ok for more people to disagree about stuff but still see common goals and not shut each other out or get explody about things. Like we’re personally on the side of not caring about specific language too much, but it’s not like people who do care about language are a threat, it’s the groups ending up thinking each other are threats and tearing each other apart even though they’ve got a lot in common and should be joined together even with disagreements… like it’s how it turns stuff into infighting that feels like the big threat.

-Jim

I think… there are ways of caring about it that make it into a threat. Like thinking that use of words like “stupid” and “crazy” is what causes murder and institutionalization. Of course people who sincerely think that think people who disagree or who just can’t follow their rules are a threat and want us out of advocacy. And to the extent that they have power within a community, that does make them a threat to people who can’t follow the rules.

I’m not sure how to even start on addressing that issue.

But I also don’t think that describes everyone who cares about language.